Kinpatsu
by Narcissos
Summary: Z-City may not have demons, but they do have a demon cyborg. If only Kagome could get him to leave her in peace. IY/OPM Drabbles, Eventual GenosKag
1. Of Meetings

**Nars, your fave (Lmao as if) Author:** My sister and I were watching InuYasha and she said "Hey, wouldn't Saitama be able to beat Naraku with one punch?" and I started thinking about how this could very easily take place in the same universe... and then this filth came to be :^)

 **Series:** InuYasha and One-Punch Man  
 **Pairing:** Genos/Kagome (eventually)  
 **Universe:** Canon  
 **Warnings:** Mild swearing and violence  
 **Summary:** Z-City may not have demons, but they do have a demon cyborg. If only Kagome could get him to leave her in peace.  
 **Word Count:** 545

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners** — **Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

Some time over the course of Kagome Higurashi's lifetime, her home town–Tokyo–was split up into separate cities after the sudden influx of monsters parading through the streets, wreaking havoc on the citizens. Or so it was said.

Kagome had never even _seen_ a monster with her own eyes, despite living in the most populated monster-occupied region. Z-City was an oddity. You either saw too many monsters or none at all. Thankfully, her shrine was located in the residential district of the city and she could live out her rather busy life without any worries of being eaten. If only it were that simple.

But that did lead her into her most recent predicament.

"I'm home!" She called, setting her worn-out shoes by the door. The lack of reply from her family gave her reason to worry, justified as she entered the living room and found them huddled around the television. "What's going on?"

"Nee-chan!" said Souta, "You picked a bad time to come back."

She rose a brow, "Good to see you too." Kagome peered at the screen in confusion, reading the words _Breaking News!_ flashing across the screen. "Huh, another monster attack?"

"All these demons!" Her grandfather lamented. "When will it end?"

"This time it sounds very dangerous." Her mother murmured, "Even the heroes can't seem to contain it."

Souta shook his head, "That's because they're a bunch of C-Class guys. Jeez, what happened to Silverfang?!"

"Silver _what_ _now_...?" Kagome had never paid much attention to any of these Hero Association dramatics. "Whatever. I need more gauze, Mom?"

"In the storehouse." She replied, eyes still glued to the screen.

Kagome made her way outside, thankful to have gotten a well-deserved break from all of the feudal era violence. Her fingers still ached from the amount of arrows she'd been shooting. Well, at least she was consistently getting better.

A sudden noise from behind the doors of the storage put her on the offensive. She reached for the quiver still on her back, withdrawing her bow and nocking an arrow. "Okay, Kagome... one, two..." She threw the door open, the arrow pointed straight at the danger. "Three!"

There stood the nastiest creature she'd ever laid eyes on, which was a stretch considering she fought demons in feudal Japan. It was a cross between a vacuum and a worm; she couldn't even pinpoint the location of a face. Kagome let her arrow fly, shielding her eyes as the creature blew up upon impact, sending pieces of its slimy body all over the room.

"Ugh, disgusting." She said, making a face as she stepped over its remains. She didn't get very far before an electric current shuddered over her body, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on edge. She spun around, another arrow pointed straight at the offender but stopped immediately.

Someone stood before her, bearing a smooth, metallic body, blond hair and gold eyes. Whoever this person was, they weren't human, that much she could see.

She frowned, "Uh—"

"You killed the Aurapest with one arrow." They stated mechanically.

Her eyes flickered down to the prone remains of the worm-creature. "Aurap—?"

"What is your Hero Registry Number?" They continued.

"My _what_?"

If only she knew what she'd gotten herself into.

* * *

 **Nars:** The end for now. My love for Genos has no foreseeable end, I had to do this.

Review pleaaase :)


	2. Of Toasters

**Nars:** Wow, I took a nap and woke up to several favourites and follows? Thank you all!

 **Word Count:** 623

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

Kagome really couldn't believe that this was happening to her. Not only were her house slippers covered in wet worm parts, but there was currently a robot grilling her with questions she couldn't even answer.

He– _she assumed it was a he judging by that very masculine hairstyle_ –lost her somewhere around the part where he began to rattle off her specifications, all of which she'd never cared to know. According to him, her stamina was deplorable but he still measured her as a B-class hero.

"Hey, hold on a sec." She interrupted, finally deciding to make her confusion known. "What do you mean B-Class?"

"Are you in fact on the A-class registry?" His eyes defocused, scanning something that she couldn't see. "I do not see your identity. What is your Registry Number?"

"I'm not on the—"

"You have respectable strength for someone so young," He said, continuing to speak without being prompted to. "and short."

"What–? Hey, who are you calling short?!" snarled Kagome.

He scrutinized her, then said plainly, "Your height is below average."

She couldn't grasp for the life of her why a... a... _toaster_ was giving her hell. "Look, buddy, I'm not some hero, I was just trying to—"

"In order to become strong enough, I must follow in Sensei's footsteps." He interjected calmly, not minding at all that he kept stopping her mid-sentence. She hadn't the slightest clue who this sensei was and she didn't really want to. "Therefore, I must learn all possible methods of strength. What modifications were done to your arrows?"

"Er..." She glanced at her ruined slippers warily, "They're just ordinary arrows."

"Not possible." said the robot. "Arrows register a force of 30-50 lbs when reaching a target. One would require at least 120 lbs of force to pierce the epidermal layer of the Aurapest. Coupled with the estimated trajectory, I find it hard to believe they were simply bamboo arrows."

She was tempted to let him know that she was failing physics and had no intention of deciphering what he'd just said, but instead decided to just get him out of her hair. "So you want me to tell you my secret?"

"Yes." He said, eyes glinting triumphantly.

Kagome smiled. "Come back on Tuesday."

"In three days?" The robot clarified, receiving a nod of confirmation from her. "As you wish. I will return with a readiness to learn."

"Mhm, you do that." She watched him dash off to god knows where and then let her smile drop. She didn't even want to know who that one was. Kagome trudged back to her house, dragging her feet with a sudden desire to never look at a toaster ever again.

"The weirdest thing happened, nee-chan..." remarked Souta, "They just lifted the threat."

"Oh yeah?" She said absentmindedly, rummaging through the fridge for something to drink. "Sounds great."

"Yeah, guess the Aurapest must've been defeated by a really strong hero!"

Kagome choked on air, banging her head on the top of the fridge. She cursed loudly, rubbing the offending spot with a scowl.

"Are you okay in there, Kagome?" Her mother asked, shuffling into the kitchen with her brows furrowed.

"I'm fine." She said, rubbing the lump on her forehead. "We're out of milk. I'm going to go get some at the supermarket."

"Be careful, the threat might still be out there."

"Mmm... I'll take my chances." She said, laughing sheepishly, "Uh, you might not want to go into the storeroom."

Leaving that cryptic thought in the air, she changed her shoes (mourning the loss of her slippers) and set out for the supermarket.

That robot could suck it. She was going to be back in that well by Monday and there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

 **Nars:** Side note, kinpatsu means blond as in Genos' fakeass hair. Review :^)


	3. Of Markets

**Nars:** I'm so broke, I just want to go to a concert, save my ass...

 **Word Count:** 618

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

She trudged along the sidewalk leading to the nearest supermarket.

Kagome figured if she was getting milk, she could at least pick up some more instant ramen for when she went back down the well. InuYasha really could inhale that stuff like a _vacuum_ (as if she needed to be reminded of the worms). She was running low on them. Some more antiseptic and bandages would come in handy too.

Mentally creating a list in her mind, she turned the corner and came face to face with the market, bustling with people.

"Oh, there's a sale." She remarked. Maybe she did have good timing after all. The shelves containing cup noodles were on for 60% off.

Her eyes brightened as she withdrew a basket and began to load it up. Kagome picked from a variety of flavours, wordlessly sorting which types her companions would prefer.

She'd have to check the boutique across the road for another pair of shoes that'd last longer. The tennis shoes she wore regularly had seen better days. It wouldn't be a bad idea to—

"I see, you partake in a nutritionally imbalanced diet of instant noodles and whole milk."

Kagome jolted, turning to find the same damn robot from earlier now studying her basket with a hand on his chin. "W-What are you doing here–? Are you stalking me now?!" She hadn't even known that robots could follow their own whims like this one.

The blond robot blinked. "What would I gain from stalking you?"

"I dunno, you're the one who went on and on about needing to get stronger." She groused. "Forgive me if I thought you were following me."

"Apology accepted." said the robot plainly. "Now—"

"Genos, what are you doing over there?" came another voice.

Coming down the aisle was a bald guy wearing a shirt that had a crudely drawn emblem of boobs. Her eye twitched. More weirdos. And then the robot, surprisingly, left her side to move towards the bald man. "Sensei, I was merely inquiring about this girl's diet."

"Eh?" The man frowned, "Asking a girl somethin' like that might land you in hot water."

"Why?"

"I dunno, they're weird like that. Self-conscious and stuff."

The pieces finally clicked together. THIS was the sensei that the robot had been raving about? He didn't... seem strong. Just looked remarkably average. "Wait, your name's Genos?"

The robot nodded.

"And you're... Sensei?" She continued.

"Saitama." The bald man said, extending a hand, "Nice to meet ya."

She shook his hand, pleasantly surprised that he was so friendly, especially when his robot friend was this incorrigible.

"Ohh." said Saitama brightly, "That must mean you're the kid with the magic arrows."

"I'm eighteen." She snapped. The robot sure could work quick, telling his sensei all about her in a matter of a few minutes. But at least now she knew he hadn't been stalking her. He just legitimately happened to be in the area. "And it's Kagome."

Genos nodded, making no attempt to use her name. "You still did not answer my question about your registry number."

"Yeah, what's up with that? You in A-class or what?"

Kagome opened her mouth to finally tell them that she was in no way a hero, just as screams erupted from the outside of the building. Her eyes widened, and Genos was instantly on the offensive, gold irises flickering curiously as he surveyed for damage. "There is a monster." He said grimly. "Let us go, Sensei."

As an afterthought, he turned to her. "You as well, Kagome. I would like to see your abilities for myself again."

They disappeared in the next instant through the automatic doors, leaving her in the dust. "I'm not a hero." She groaned, reluctantly putting her basket down to follow after them.

* * *

 **Nars:** Haha, now I have to learn how to write fight scenes. _Great_.


	4. Of Fighting

**Nars:** Guess who rewatched Naruto and didn't cry over how much she loves Rock Lee?! not me.

 **Word Count:** 920

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

The monster was an absurdly large insect bearing large pincers that snapped together like tongs used to pick up barbecued hot dogs. "I am the Stenchscreamer!" He, well, screamed, mouth expelling the horrible smell of rotting flesh and soured milk.

"Bring me a hero I can pinch to pieces!" Stenchscreamer cackled.

"Give _me_ a break." She muttered, watching as Genos stood in front of the hoard of shoppers protectively.

 _Fitting,_ she thought, watching as Genos loudly commanded the nearby civilians to get a safe distance away. His gold eyes flickered over to her, "Kagome, what are you doing there?"

Her brow twitched. "I didn't bring any arrows!"

"Why not?"

"I was going to the supermarket, not fight club!" She exclaimed, fighting the urge to rip off his robot arms and feed it to him. Hero or not, this dude was irritating. She was just going to let him take care of it. He seemed quite capable of handling the threat on his own.

From beside her, a little boy gasped, "That's the Demon Cyborg! He's _so_ cool."

So he wasn't a robot? Kagome thought that him being a cyborg made much more sense. He was _sort of_ still a human. Calling him a demon was still sort of a stretch. If anything, he was more like a weed... kept popping back up. She really had to ask Souta about all this stuff. He was a bit of a fanboy for these superheros. She couldn't really see the appeal in—

"Kagome! Watch out!"

Her eyes widened, just as the Stenchscreamer came barreling towards her. In a split-second decision, she scooped the young child into her arms and dove out of harm's way. The concrete where the pincers connected exploded beneath the force.

She was aware of the burning in her knee from crashing into the ground but pushed herself to stand up, cradling the child towards her. "A-Are you okay, Miss?" He squeaked.

"Yeah, don't worry about me." said Kagome, even attempting a smile. It seemed to calm him enough that he gesticulated wildly to the monster as it turned back towards them, alerting her of the danger.

"I so do like pretty girls!" roared the monster. "Come to me, my sweet!"

"Ew, as if." She grimaced, sincerely wishing that she'd brought her bow. From her peripherals, she noticed Genos' arm begin to glow, which indicated he was probably about to strike. She had to get out of the way before he did whatever he was about to do.

Kagome set the boy down to his feet, pointing to a group further away that'd keep him safe. "Go there." The kid obeyed and she turned back to the monster, just in time for him to dash towards her, giant legs clomping on the asphalt.

She yelped, narrowly avoiding those giant pincers as they grabbed for her. "Get a day job, you creep!" If it weren't for constantly evading death in feudal Japan, she wasn't certain she'd have been able to dodge this monster. She just couldn't understand why _she_ of all people had been targeted. Genos was actually _glowing_ right now. Wasn't he far more noticeable?

And where had Saitama gone anyways?!

Kagome pushed her hair back from her face, noting that Genos had disappeared as well. "Some hero he is." She said, wincing when her toe collided with a downed parking meter on a long metal pole. It was no bow, but it'd have to do. She snatched it up, widening her stance as she imitated the way InuYasha had once taught her how. Half-demon or not, she had to try.

She swung, allowing the pole to connect with the monster's skull. Stenchscreamer didn't budge. _Maybe_ she'd overstepped her bounds this time around. As she raised the pole to land another futile hit, a gleaming light erupted behind her, so radiant that her eyes watered and then someone grabbed her, causing her to drop the pole.

"Let go!" She said immediately, attempting to wrestle free, landing a punch on her unknown assailant. As soon as her fist connected, a dull ringing resounded all the way to her ears. "Wait... Genos?"

"Are you injured?" He asked, completely ignoring her attempts at batting him away. "It was foolish of you to engage in combat with the Stenchscreamer."

Kagome realized far too late that he had her in his arms, cradling her to his chest like he was in some kind of superhero movie. Her face went red, "What about the—?"

"Sensei has already taken care of the monster." said Genos.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "You can put me down now."

"Not yet." He said.

Her eyes narrowed, "Why not?"

Genos ceased moving, waiting a total of three seconds before something akin to déjà vu occurred.

Disgusting, fleshy bits began to rain from the sky, all the same colour as the nasty monster that had just terrorized them. She shrieked, covering her eyes as a large eyeball landed on the ground in front of her.

The cyborg still didn't appear fazed but he wordlessly kicked the eyeball away, letting it roll off into an opened manhole. She didn't care where it went, just as long as it was out of sight.

Kagome tilted her head back, watching as Saitama, now wearing a gaudy yellow suit and red cape, straightened up with downturned eyes. There was no such indication that he'd done anything until she saw his fist still raised as it _smoked._

Her breath hitched. Just how strong _was_ he?

* * *

 **Nars:** Real shit tho, Lee is mine, I'll fight all of you for him.

Review pls :^)


	5. Of Coffee

**Nars:** The original idea for this was to make it a triangle with Genos, Kagome and Saitama but then I decided it was too basic so nah _(besides... Saitama is mine)_.

Genos' monologue is paraphrased from the original scene in the anime.

 **Word Count:** 601

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

"So you can actually defeat anything with a single _punch_?!"

"It gets boring, man." said Saitama morosely.

Kagome furrowed her brows, "Not really, that's amazing!" She knew a handful of people who could utilize that to the fullest... both for good and bad. InuYasha would particularly love that ability. The fact that Saitama was a hero meant that the world dodged a bullet. If he had been evil, well... perhaps there would be no Z-City or any cities left for that matter! "You must be really popular!"

Their table at the café went completely quiet. Over her latte, she bit her lip. "Hit a sensitive spot there?"

"It is preposterous!" hissed Genos, slamming a fist down on the table. Saitama's cake flew into the air which the bald man quickly snatched up, angrily biting into. "Sensei deserves to be an S-ranked hero. The Association does not know what they are doing."

Just how many ranks were there? "So then what rank _are_ you?"

"...C."

"Wait, really?! That's kind of stupid." For someone who could end it all with one measly punch, Saitama sure was discriminated against. Granted, she knew next to nothing about this entire business, but still.

"So what's your rank?" said Saitama as he slurps on his coffee.

She groaned, anger rising to the top of her chest. "I'm _not_ a hero!"

"Eh? Really?" He squinted, "You shoulda said so earlier."

Kagome's finger twitched, dangerously close to hitting him with something. Instead, she forcefully took a languid sip of her latte. "So, what, did you guys just fly over here as soon as you heard about an attack?"

"No. We were grocery shopping." replied Genos. "There was a sale that Sensei had learned of."

"Yeah, good deals." He nodded.

The puzzle pieces began to fit together, much to Kagome's dismay. "You mean... you guys _live_ here?"

Saitama nodded emphatically. "In an apartment building a couple miles from here. Rent is crazy cheap."

That probably meant that there was a significant chance she ran into them more often and Kagome was not too thrilled about that. She glanced at her watch, raising a brow. How had two hours already gone by since she told her family she was stepping out? They were probably extremely worried about her. "I should get back home, my family is waiting."

"Kagome." Genos called, before she could duck out of there. "I will be at your shrine on Tuesday. Do not forget."

A part of her felt a little bad to have to skive off on 'teaching' him her ways. It wasn't something she could explain easily (not that she wanted to) or train to do. "Uh, look, about that, Genos–"

"You learning her arrow trick?" wondered Saitama with a wolfish grin. "Doesn't seem like your style, Genos."

"If I can emanate even a fraction of your strength, Sensei, I will do anything I can." He said grimly, "I do not believe you are familiar with my story, Kagome. You see, four years ago when I was fifteen and still a normal human being, a crazy cyborg attacked our town. He had completely lost his mind likely due to his brain being damaged during its transplantation into his cyborg body. He left after destroying everything in the town including the parks, the schools, the buildings, my home. My family did not survive, but I was miraculously spared. However, as I was only a boy–"

Saitama lurched forward, slapping a palm over Genos' mouth. "Run." He told Kagome, eyes brimming with tears. "Save yourself!"

And so she did.

The cyborg truly did speak far too much.

* * *

 **Nars:** I don't really understand FF but I posted a chapter and it never showed up as updated recently so? Explain FF, explain.

Review :^)


	6. Of Chatting

**Nars:** Spiderman Homecoming was amazing, I'm in love with Tony Stark even more than I originally was. (Read: a lot)

 **Word Count: 492**

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

"He can _**what**_?!"

"I'm serious. He can kill anything with one punch." said Kagome, exaggerating a punching gesture with her fist. "I've never seen anything like it!"

Sango pursed her lips, "Is that even possible?"

"To be fair," said Miroku thoughtfully. "Kagome-sama's world is far more developed than ours. Anything can be possible there."

"What's this guy look like?" asked InuYasha, baring a toothy snarl. "Like a demon? You feel any weird aura when you're around 'em?"

Kagome thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. Saitama was weird, sure, but that was about all. He couldn't possibly be a demon. His unnatural strength must've come from steroids or something. After all, times were definitely changing. "But that's not even the strangest part! I met this other guy, he said his name was Genos and he's a cyborg."

"Cy-borg." Shippo enunciated slowly. "What does that mean, Kagome?"

Right. They didn't have the slightest clue what a robot or any such machinery-esque term was. "Take... my bike for example. It moves on mostly mechanical parts. A cyborg is a human who has these parts placed inside of them to get stronger."

"So, what can _he_ do?" said the kitsune in awe.

"I haven't seen him do anything yet, but I'm sure it's something interesting." She said assuringly. Kagome scratched her head. "He, uh, wanted me to teach him how to use my arrows because I took out a monster with one."

"And this monster disintegrated the same way that demons do?" wondered Miroku, receiving an affirmative nod from her. "Could it be that they are actually the same?"

"Sometimes I think they might be. My grandpa calls them all demons." Kagome mused, "But, I dunno, there's something different about them. They're weirder-looking, came out of nowhere too a couple years ago."

They kept on going, trekking forward to reach the next projected Shikon shard. Perched securely on InuYasha's back, she poured her concentration into pinpointing the nearest piece.

"So did you teach this Genos about how you expel demons, Kagome?" inquired Sango.

"Mm, not quite. I sort of left him and came back here." She said sheepishly.

Miroku frowned. "That's not very nice, Kagome-sama."

"There's nothing I can teach him!" She fumed, irritated just thinking of the cyborg. "He's annoyingly persistent, never listens to reason, and somehow always interrupting me!"

"Sounds like a certain someone I know." muttered Shippo, earning himself a glare courtesy of InuYasha.

"If he's that persistent, don'tcha think he'll still be waiting for you when you next go back?" The half-demon remarked dryly.

She smiled. "Uh... Oops?"

Well, something would work itself out. Kagome would just have to tell him something came up... but she really just hoped she wouldn't have to meet either of those two weirdos as long as she could help it.

Still, considering her luck, they'd probably be the first people she saw once she climbed back out of the well.

* * *

 **Nars:** Not much going on in this chapter. All the drama happens in the present. I'm probably going to change all of the chapter names so they're less disjointed, hmm. Thanks for reading so far :^)


	7. Of Returning

**Nars:** I was supposed to hit the beach (even though I can't swim) and then it started raining so... Here's an update.

 **Word Count:** 545

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

Kagome hadn't wanted to leave so soon, but after three more shards were recovered from various unintelligent demons, she figured there would never be a better time to get her rest. It had only taken four days for the crew to find three shards and while it felt like a waste to leave, she did long for her bed again.

"I'll be back soon!" She called to Shippo and InuYasha as the former waved excitedly and the latter yelled for her to bring more ramen.

Kagome rolled her eyes and made her descent into the well, closing her eyes as it warped before her and returned her to her happy home in the 21st century. She stretched her weary arms, climbing out of the well and brushing off dust from her skirt. There was a lot she still had to get caught up with. School being one of them, though she didn't think college was in the cards for her after missing so much school.

Sometimes she just wanted to stay in the present and never go back, but that would be highly irresponsible of her and she was _not_ flaky.

Kagome jogged back into the house, surprised that the front door had been left open and even more so that a pair of shoes were set neatly atop the mat. She blinked slowly and then took off her own, following suit and then padding into the house. "I'm home."

"You're here early!" chirped her mother, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "There's someone here to see you."

She really hoped that it wasn't—

"Hello, Kagome."

Kagome blanched. What was Genos doing in her house? And even more than that, what was he doing sitting in her living room, with her favourite pillow behind his head, her brother sitting next to him with stars in his eyes _and_ her cat on his lap looking far too happy?!

"What is he doing here?!" She hissed, not expecting her mother to _giggle_ in reply.

"Genos came by yesterday to see you, but you weren't here so I offered to let him stay a bit!" She chortled, "He's such a dear."

Kagome groaned. "Dear God..." She should've known blowing him off would return to bite her in the ass. Now it seemed her mother was smitten with him.

"Nee-chan, you didn't tell me that you knew the Demon Cyborg!" exclaimed Souta, narrowing his eyes at her very slightly as if saying 'Why the hell didn't you?'.

It made sense for her brother to know exactly who this so-called superhero was, considering his admiration for them. She glared at him and then looked around in confusion, "Where's grandpa?"

"Preparing another talisman to ward Genos away." sighed Souta. "He thinks demon cyborg really just means demon."

"Will you teach me what you did with that arrow now, Kagome?" asked Genos, standing up and setting Buyo gently down on the couch. The cat purred and rubbed against his leg lovingly.

"Let's go this way." She said, gesturing to the direction of the backyard. "And about that, Genos, I don't think–"

"In addition, your family said you were dealing with a bout of the bubonic plague but my scans are suggesting that you are in perfect health aside from mild exhaustion."

"The bubonic pl—Hey! Don't just scan me without my permission!" She snapped, glowering at him from the side. He did not seem bothered by it at all. She half-wished that there were rosary beads she could use on him. "I was just at a friend's place, that's all."

"The same friend that is currently standing outside your house?"

Kagome furrowed her brows, "Outside my–?"

"Hey, Kagome, ya forget somethin'!"

Her heart all but stopped in her chest. _InuYasha_.

* * *

 **Nars:** How's that for a cliffhanger, eh?

Review :^)


	8. Of Brawling

**Nars:** I won't apologize for the cliffhanger I left the last chapter on.

 **Word Count:** 667

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

Now was not the time for this. No matter how honoured she was, no matter how holy, the Gods were downright cruel to force her to deal with something like this.

The door slid open, revealing her less-than-pleasing half-demon friend, looking no different than usual, except that he now carried her bike and its popped tire in one arm without a care in the world. "Ya forgot this!"

As soon as InuYasha's eyes met with Genos', he was instantly on the offensive, hackles rising. "The fu–? Who the hell is _this_?!"

"I am Genos, an acquaintance of Kagome's." replied the cyborg placidly.

InuYasha squinted suspiciously, casting side-eyes to her bicycle still in his grasp. "Kagome, _this_ is the bike man?!"

"Bike man?" repeated Genos quizzically.

"Just kill me now." She groaned. "Genos, InuYasha. InuYasha, Genos. Yes, he's the bike-man. And Genos, InuYasha is–"

"Not entirely human." said the cyborg, eyes flickering over InuYasha distrustingly. "My sensors indicate that your friend is less than 50% human. The remainder is unclear to me."

She bit her lip worriedly. "Genos, that's okay, he–"

"Please step back, Kagome." The blond said sternly, stretching an arm out towards InuYasha threateningly. "Should he attempt to harm you, I will take necessary action."

"Hah?! The hell do you mean, if _**I**_ harm her?! You're the suspicious one here!" snapped InuYasha, withdrawing Tetsusaiga. "Make one move, ya' weirdo and I'll smash ya' to bits."

She really didn't want them to fight. She knew InuYasha's skill and it was fearsome. But Genos was a wildcard, and this could end several different ways– _all awful_. Kagome glowered. "Not in the house!" She blurted out, wincing immediately. That was the last thing she wanted to say, and yet...

"Understandable."

"Fine by me!"

The two of them marched away from the house, keeping her pointedly trapped in the middle of them both. She sighed, sending a quick prayer to the heavens to get her through this never-ending nightmare.

"What's this guy's damage?!" snarled InuYasha, his sword elongating and enlarging as he grew more irritated.

She glared up at him, silently asking him to finish that thought. He wisely glanced away, knowing he was partially to blame already. She looked at Genos instead, who blinked at her in an unbothered way. "Couldn't you have just left it alone?"

His chest lit up as he straightened his back. "I will eliminate anyone I deem threatening to those around me."

She had quite some faith in InuYasha's abilities to match Genos equally. Kagome crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't destroy anything. Please."

"Ha! Don't worry, Kagome. There's only one thing I'll be destroying and it's that bag of bolts over there." smirked the half-demon, flexing his claws after they were a safe distance away.

Kagome grimaced. "Oh, dear God." It wasn't as though she were completely helpless to this thoughtless battle. The subjugation word was already at the edge of her tongue and she was prepared to use it if needed. "Is fighting _really_ necessary, though?"

"He disrespected me, Kagome." said InuYasha crossly. "I'll beat his ass."

"How crass." remarked Genos, eyes flashing warningly. "I do not cut any corners when exterminating a threat."

He scoffed. "Feh, same here." Tetsusaiga powered up in his hands, not going amiss by Genos who mouthed a couple numbers that Kagome could not determine what were for. She could only assume they were the specs belonging to InuYasha's sword. "I'm gonna grind you into dust, bike-guy."

Genos' arms began to light up. His stance widened, and the look plastered on his face was reminiscent of a certain half-demon standing in front of him.

The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end. He was strong, that much she could _feel_. Kagome didn't want this to get any further. There was no telling how much damage could be caused, especially since they were so similar.

She screwed her eyes shut and took a deep breath, not intending to let this escalate. " _Sit boy!"_

* * *

 **Nars:** Maybe I'm biased but I feel like Genos would scalp InuYasha but at the same time, he's sort of _fragile_ and prone to y'know, breaking apart...

Review :^)


	9. Of Fixing

**Nars:** *uses loudspeaker* Epic rap battles of history! Genos vs. InuYasha!

 **Word Count:** 746

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

"Why'd ya have to go and do that instead of stopping HIM, huh?! It's always me, ain't it, Kagome? Here I thought you were gonna ease up on these damn beads and whaddaya do? Use 'em even more! Thanks for that! Doin' a real swell job of–"

"Is your friend always this rowdy?" asked Genos, metres away from where InuYasha was throwing a rather self-absorbed tantrum.

Beside him, Kagome nodded guiltily. "This one was on me, but I couldn't think of anything else to do at the time." In hindsight, just by taking a deep breath, she could now brainstorm several better ways she could have resolved that.

At least Genos had the humility to cease charging up for an attack after bearing witness to Kagome using InuYasha's subjugation beads against him. He didn't want to attack a defenceless opponent, contradictory but, useful.

"What did you do to cause such an effect?" inquired Genos seriously. "It does not seem like an easily attainable skill. Is the necklace around your friend's neck a shock collar?"

She grimaced, although she treated InuYasha like a dog when she 'sat' him into the ground, she wouldn't go that far and yet... It was a good analogy. "Those are rosary beads. They're enchanted to subjugate him with the call of that word."

"I see. _Sit_." He said, furrowing his brows when InuYasha went unaffected, still grumbling loudly in the background. "It did not work."

"It only works when I say it." She said, smiling tiredly. "Still, Genos, it was kind of ironic of you to try and fight InuYasha for not being fully human when you aren't yourself."

He blinked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Pardon?"

"Well, you said you're a cyborg now? Only some physical parts of you are human and I'm guessing your genetic makeup is about the same." Kagome explained. She didn't even think he could reproduce. For that matter... Did he even have a–"Just like InuYasha. Some parts of him are human and some aren't. It doesn't mean he's a threat."

Genos fell silent for a while, keeping his gaze on InuYasha who kept stomping about, trying to pry the beads from his neck–but to no avail. "I understand your reasoning."

She wondered if he would deign to apologize. InuYasha sure wouldn't do it first, if at all. "And about my arrows? I really can't teach it to you."

"Why not?" He asked.

"I was born with that skill. I can purify tainted objects–like those monsters–but only because I was born that way." She said briefly. Kagome didn't really want to get into the whole reincarnation spiel with him. He could find a way to understand it, but it was so messy she wasn't about to try.

"I see. It has to do with your genetics." murmured the cyborg thoughtfully.

Kagome peered at his palm, more than confused as to what function it had. It had lit up like a Christmas tree when he was preparing to fight. She poked it tentatively. "You seem plenty strong enough."

"No." He said sombrely. "My power pales in comparison to yours. You are fascinating."

She couldn't help it. She blushed and looked away, attempting to clear her throat and dispel how bashful she suddenly felt. InuYasha could stand to compliment her like this sometimes. Speaking of which...

Kagome glanced over, finally taking notice of how InuYasha had ceased venting and was now watching her and Genos as their hands hovered close together. And he was _mad_.

"Oh, I see how it is! No wonder you subjugated ME instead of stopping HIM! Well, enjoy it, Kagome 'cause–"

"Will you _shut up_?" She hissed, "It isn't even like that!"

"Like hell it ain't!"

She could feel a headache coming on already. "InuYasha, go home."

His lip curled into a snarl. "No!"

"Go home before I say _**it**_ , again!"

He flinched, paused, and then scrambled towards the well.

She turned back to Genos who had been watching the exchange curiously and huffed. "Well, now that _that's_ over..."

He opened his mouth to tell her something and then stopped, eyes widening with unabashed terror. "Kagome." said Genos faintly, pointing to something in the distance. "Can you see that?"

She knitted her brows and then squinted. At first, she could see nothing wrong with the sky, and then... " _Shit_."

A meteor, larger than the sun itself was hurtling towards the city with blinding speed.

There was no way they could escape it.

* * *

 **Nars:** More cliffhangers. So now we're in canon OPM territory, which is a relief because I was tired of making things up as I go. Review pleaseee!


	10. Of Chaos

**Nars:** Guess who bought and finished all Dream Daddy routes within the span of two days...? Me, unfortunately.

 **Word Count:** 431

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

The worst thing about living in Z-City was the congestion of the roads. It would take way longer to drive to school than it would to walk or bike, which is precisely why Kagome didn't have a car. Well, that and the fact that her father had died in a car accident and for that reason nobody in her family was too inclined to drive.

But walking out of the city in order to save oneself from the meteor was downright impossible. And biking would not stand considering the huge hole in her tire.

 _"—is an emergency evacuation notice! There are twenty-nine minutes until the meteor strikes Z-City! The threat level is Dragon! This is an emergency evac_ _—!"_

Kagome bit her lip, "Genos, what do we do?"

"You must leave immediately." He replied, eyes flickering in and out of focus as he inspected the meteor. "How fast can you vacate Z-City?"

"Like... Twenty minutes if I could bike it." She said weakly. "There's just no way–"

"You must try." Genos interjected sternly. "Please." His voice took on an uncharacteristic beg, which twisted her heart all sorts of ways.

She shook her head. "Not without my family." Kagome hurried back to her house, finding that her brother and grandfather were crowded around her mother who was on the house phone. "We need to get someplace safe."

She realized belatedly that Genos was following closely behind her, a sudden urgency in his actions as his eyes remained glued on the approaching meteor through the windows.

"Kagome." He said clamantly.

"Hōjō from your school called to ask if you wanted to leave the city in his parents' van." said her mother, "I said yes."

She frowned. "But what about you three?"

"It's a van, nee-chan. We'll squeeze in." replied Souta dryly. "Hey, Genos, what about you?"

"I am staying." said Genos. "I must do what I can to push it back and save this city."

Such was the life of a hero. But what if... "What if you _can't_?"

"I won't know if I don't try." He said and pinned her with a very pressing look. "Leave as soon as you can, Kagome. Please." And then he was gone.

She saw him zip by, flying atop buildings as he took off, and was filled with a deep foreboding. A sudden honking noise outside alerted her of a van pulling up to the front.

"It's Hōjō." said her mother. "Let's go!"

She casted one last fleeting glance in the direction Genos had gone and prayed for his safety. Kagome really hoped that he wouldn't die.

* * *

 **Nars:** Short chapter today, but only because I'm posting one more tomorrow. Review pls :^)


	11. Of Staying

**Nars:** Long chapter incoming. Gonna wrap up this arc by the next chapter.

 **Word Count:** 941

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

" _—ere are twelve minutes until the meteor strikes Z-City! The threat level is Dragon_ _—!"_

The roads were completely jammed. All hope of leaving the city before the meteor hit was dashed. Kagome's ears were ringing with the sounds of cars honking left and right, desperate to get out but to no avail. The occupants of the van seemed to share the same sentiment, considering how nobody spoke and a sullen silence hung in the air.

Kagome angled her head towards the line of skyscrapers behind her. She wondered if Genos was putting up any sort of fight at all, or if he'd already _escaped_. Surely based on his speed earlier he could make it out in five minutes tops. All of this left a bitter taste in her mouth. It felt like the most destruction in her life had only happened after meeting Genos and Saitama. Trouble just seemed to follow, didn't it?

"There's no use!" She heard someone cry from outside, "We're trapped."

Kagome turned back to her little brother and found that he was watching a screen intently, and there were large missiles shooting from one end of the screen to the other, connecting with... the meteor. "Is that a live feed?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's Metal Knight!" said Souta cheerily, "He's going to save us!"

So another hero had shown up. Kagome frowned as thick, billowing smoke filled the air on screen and then glanced at the window where a similar scene was taking place. "Did it work...?" She asked, a tiny semblance of hope rising to her chest.

The smoke cleared. The meteor continued to hurtle towards the city.

She sighed in sync with her little brother and then frowned as a very familiar figure appeared on the screen. "Genos." She whispered.

He had his hand outstretched, a heavy machinery covering the entirety of his arm and all at once _—_ A thick blast of light shot out of his palm, headed straight for the meteor. The feed crackled and died, replaced by static.

What was happening out there...?

"Oh, my." said her mother, "What is that?"

The same pillar of light met the meteor, appeared to suspend it in air for a moment and then abruptly fizzled out and died. Kagome's heart stopped in her chest. She immediately began to fear for the worse in regards to Genos and without realizing what she was doing, had wrestled her seatbelt off and clambered out of the van.

"Kagome, where are you going?!" asked her grandfather, mouth agape.

It occurred to her that if that damn meteor was going to meet one way or another, what good would it do to sit around in a van? She was dead either way, and she much rather wanted to check on the cyborg before... it hit. "I love you guys." She said sincerely and then took off in the direction the light-cannon had shot from.

If this was her last moment alive, she wanted it to be spent acting instead of cowering. Kagome weaved in between stalled vehicles and took off in a run, following the wreckage of Z-City as a guideline. She climbed the stairs to a rickety old building and ambled her way to the roof to get a better view of what was going on. Cars were overturned, the once busy shopping square looked like a ghost town but the piercing voice of the evacuation message lady continued to drone on and on.

" _—evel is Dragon_ _! This is an emergency evacuation notice!_ _There are three minutes until the meteor stri_ _—!"_

The final countdown was on. She never imagined she'd be facing death in the form of a meteor. Death by something down in the feudal era seemed more appropriate, considering how many times she came close to actually dying.

In the distance, Kagome spotted a yellow and red blur reaching the meteor. It didn't look much like Genos, nor that Metal Knight guy Souta had mentioned. In fact, it actually looked a lot like _—_ "Saitama..."

Then, the meteor _exploded_.

In her head, the pieces began to fit together. He could destroy _anything_ with a single punch, that wasn't limited to sentient beings. The tremendous strength that had gone into that punch could only belong to Saitama. "Holy _shit_."

Kagome felt the sudden urge to celebrate or laugh or something, but then the demolished parts of the meteor began to rain down on them. One way or another, this city was going to get _wrecked_. She dove into a building that had held up quite nicely and winced as the remnants of the meteor began to meet the ground one after the next, sending the remains of abandoned cars into dust and murdering the asphalt and turning them into craters.

At least they weren't dead.

The sounds of meteor meeting the ground fizzled out after a few minutes. When the coast was clear, she stepped back out and squinted up at the sky.

Somehow... they had survived all this and it was all thanks to Saitama. She wondered if people even realized that or if he was still as unknown as he said he was.

Kagome scurried back up to the roof of a building and waved furiously at the van her family had been piled into. She could see Souta open the door and wave back, shouting something about the heroes saving the day.

She turned her attention back to the area she'd thought Genos was located and felt her heart palpitate when she could finally see him and God... He looked _awful_.

Kagome bit her lip, called his name, and then took off running towards him again.

* * *

 **Nars:** Wow a chapter with substance, yay. Review, please :^)


	12. Of Saving

**Nars:** I just had summer school orientation and it lasted a few minutes and I still cried several times (someone save me).

 **Word Count:** 706

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

Genos... actually looked like he was dead, at first glance. His eyes were clamped together and the only indication of life flowing in and out of his body was the twitch his eyebrow gave off every so often. Kagome approached him in a hurry, falling to her knees and calling his name to get his attention. "Genos, you're not... dead, right?"

He opened his eyes then, a very half-hearted glare apparent on his face. "I'm fine."

Her eyes briefly looked over his body. There was a tube stemming from his chest shoved into his arm. The usual bright amber glow his limbs once emitted was flickering in and out of a very dim existence. If that was the source of his power, was he... _dying_? She pushed her sleeves up and struggled to pull him into a sitting position. "You can barely move at all, huh?"

"I exhausted all of my energy attempting to destroy the meteor." He sighed. It seemed to her that he could barely even lift his head, even that took too much out of him.

She patted his shoulder consolingly. "Thanks for trying, though."

"But I didn't destroy the threat." said Genos, "That was Saitama-sensei."

Kagome suppressed her laughter. He only ever seemed to perk up at the mention of the baldy. She wondered where he even was at the moment. "I thought I saw him punch that meteor. I guess he really is impressive."

"Yes, he is! Sensei's power is unparalleled!" Genos nodded brightly. The movement seemed to inconvenience him further as his brows knitted and he fell quiet. "If only he had been called in by the Association first. Then, this would not have happened."

She smiled, "You tried your best though... So, thanks."

He let out a puff of air in his attempt at what she felt might have been laughter. "You're welcome."

Kagome shifted and let Genos lie his head on her lap as he gathered his bearings. Being a superhero was hard work, from the looks of it and yet he was so dedicated. The citizens of Z-city were lucky to have a guy like him. She gazed around at the wreckage of said city before her and winced. This would take months to repair. She wondered if the shrine had survived the meteor pieces falling...

"Oh my god." She said suddenly, realizing that there was someone here, literal metres away from them. "I'm so sorry, have you been here this whole time?"

The figure stepped closer, and she quickly realized that this was a rather familiar face. "Oh, hey, you're Grandpa's friend!"

Genos groaned from her lap, "Kagome... You know Bang?"

Oh yeah, that _was_ his name! He used to come by the shrine sometimes, less so over these past few months, and either have tea with her grandpa or pray. For an old guy, she'd often realized he was pretty swift and always on his feet. "Er, yeah, a bit." She said sheepishly. "What're you doing all the way out here?"

"...Bang is a hero in the association too." muttered Genos.

It was unsurprising that she didn't know that. Souta probably did... and never thought to tell her? She smiled awkwardly, "You don't say? Sorry about that."

Bang, however, did not seem to mind at all, as he chuckled and bent to prod Genos' prone arm. "Never mind that. You should get Genos some medical attention."

"He's a cyborg though, is it really medical or is it more technical?"

"Kagome." sighed the blond. "The doctor who tends to my repairs lives near Lake Ashii."

That wasn't too far from here. The mystery was soon to be uncovered as to where the hell Genos got fixed up whenever trouble struck. "Uh, alright, let's get going." She stood up, and with the assistance of Bang, managed to help Genos stand and _god_ he was heavy. "Let's get going, Genos."

"Ah." He said, voice dropping to a whisper. "Thank you, for this."

As they set off along the ruined asphalt, Kagome caught a streak of yellow zip by and inhaled sharply as she prepared to get the person's attention. "Saitama!" She yelled, hoping he at least heard her. "Thank you!"

It was a pretty decent day after all.

* * *

 **Nars:** Next chapter, Dr. Kuseno! So, yeah, that's our little Bang cameo, and surprise, they know each other. If Bang knows Kagome, does that mean Garou does too?

Review, please :^)


	13. Of Repairing

**Nars:** Long chapter warning.

 **Word Count:** 980

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

Dr. Kuseno was an unassuming and mellow old man who seemed to daylight as Genos' caretaker, doctor/technician and, surprisingly, a father.

She had imagined that his reaction to find a strange girl and the robot he seemed to have a history with on his doorstep–said robot sporting several awful damages–would have been shocking. But he hadn't given much indication of surprise. He'd opened the door and let them both inside without asking any questions until Genos was lying on an operating table–or maybe it was just a work desk.

As Dr. Kuseno tinkered with a wire that fizzled back to life reluctantly, he finally asked Genos what had happened. In turn, the cyborg spun the unabridged version of his brawl with the meteor that had defeated him and drained him of his energy.

"A meteor, hm..." murmured Dr. Kuseno.

Kagome furrowed her brows. It felt as though the doctor sincerely had not known that Z-City had been nearly destroyed. Not only that but his tone indicated that he didn't... care, much. She decided not to dwell on it since she'd already met enough weird people for the time being.

"Doctor," Genos began after a moment. "This is Kagome."

She was fully prepared to introduce herself to the man, but his eyes lit up with recognition and he said, "Yes, Genos has told me about you."

"He has?" She blinked. With each passing moment, Dr. Kuseno was proving her statement on his being Genos' father figure right. The cyborg was kind of excitable, telling the man all about the people he crossed paths with. Cute, in a child-like way.

"Yes," chuckled the doctor. "He mentioned upon your first meeting that you dispelled of a threat with a single arrow."

"Er, yeah. I'm a–"

"Priestess, no?"

She nodded. "Essentially." Kagome wagered a glance at Genos who seemed to be mulling that over. At some point he must have drawn that conclusion himself, although she had been trying to communicate this with him for a while. "It was an ordinary arrow, but since I was the one who shot it, the monster ended up being purified and died."

"Kagome, this is Dr. Kuseno. As I told you about the time my hometown was attacked by the rogue cyborg and I was the only one spared, Dr. Kuseno was the one who implanted the modification to enable me to survive."

The doctor had turned him into a cyborg. So the old man wasn't just his repair guy. "You don't say?" A part of her, deep down, wanted to distrust the old man because he had turned Genos into the very thing that had destroyed his regular human life. "Nice to meet you."

"These repairs might take a while longer. Would you like anything to drink in the meantime? Tea, coffee?"

Scratch that. The old man was very nice. "I should get back home, actually. I sort of left the rest of my family back there without an explanation so..."

The doctor smiled and nodded. "Yes, don't let this keep you from returning."

"Kagome." said Genos, sitting up as she turned to leave. "Thank you." Dr. Kuseno scolded him for moving around and badgered him into lying down as to not upset the new wiring.

"No problem, Genos." She smiled and then disappeared.

* * *

If only all could be considered great. She went straight back home and found the rest of her family now returned to their place of living, and while they were a bit quiet, nothing seemed that out of place. "I took Genos back to the doctor who does his repairs, sorry about that."

"Kagome." said her mother, "Are you hurt?"

"Nah, I'm alright." She said, "Are you guys okay? You seem... shaken." It was an understandable reaction, though. They did just narrowly escape a horrible death. Being a little sullen after the fact was a normal reaction.

"We're... alright." said her brother uneasily. "But, uh, nee-chan?"

"Yeah?" Their strange behaviour was beginning to fill her with a sense of worry.

Souta frowned, "You might want to come see this." He led her towards the well, or rather, where the well was supposed to be, but the closer she got, the more visible it was.

A giant meteor fragment had fallen where the well was supposed to be, completely blocking it from use.

"Are you kidding me?" She groaned. "How do we get rid of this?" Her arrows would do her no good for an insentient being such as a giant space rock.

"Well... Where did Genos go?"

"He's recovering in the lab." He was out of commission for the time being. "Isn't a rescue team supposed to be issued out?"

"Yeah, but..." Souta suddenly brightened. "Oh! We have Silverfang!"

"That name again? Who is that?"

"Nee-chan, come on! We've met him! Grandpa's friend?" He said, exasperatedly.

The lines connected again. Silverfang and Bang were the same person? That was the superhero that Souta preferred over the rest? She rolled her eyes. "Okay, but where would I find him? He comes here all the time, but it's not the other way around."

Souta pulled out his device and tapped away on the screen, "You know, it'd be a good thing to actually learn the faces of the heroes since they come looking for you so much."

"Gimme a break, brat."

" _Hero Nation_ has all the mailing addresses of the heroes–y'know, for fan mail?–and sometimes they use a different address than their actual ones but..." He grinned, "Found it! Silverfang lives here."

On screen was a large and imposing dojo atop a mountain–fitting for a superhero to reside, but–"How many STAIRS is that?"

"A lot. Better get going, nee-chan!" said her brother cheerfully.

Kagome slung her quiver over her shoulder–threats could be lurking anywhere–and set off to find the elusive Bang. Hopefully, if she hurried, she'd catch him on those god forsaken stairs.

* * *

 **Nars:** You know what's coming. *whispers* It's training time.


	14. Of Dojos

**Nars:** You know I had to do it to 'em.

 **Word Count:** 694

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

Three thousand stairs later, she reached the summit. The dojo was somehow even more pristine than it appeared in the photo, but even then, it seemed desolate and empty. Probably because of those ridiculous stairs, she thought wryly.

Kagome flexed her aching legs and approached the frontal sliding door. There were no sounds coming from inside, none at all, which led her to believe that Bang might not even be home, which in turn felt detrimental to her entire being since she'd willfully climbed all of those stairs.

She pulled experimentally on the door, not expecting for it to be open and stepped inside, mumbling a mild 'Excuse me'. To both her surprise and relief, Bang was seated at the front of the room, legs crossed and in a meditative state, and there was another younger man across him.

Kagome suddenly realized she might have been intruding on some important training but it wasn't like she could come back later–not if those stairs had anything to say about it. Her moment of hesitation drew a pair of curious eyes from the younger man with the wild and untamed locks.

"Kagome." said Bang diplomatically, never opening his eyes from his zen-like state. "Come and meditate."

"Er, I kind of wanted to ask for your help." She began, "A meteor piece sort of fell on my house an—" It wasn't technically the house that it had fallen on, just an extension of it.

"Hey!" The wild-haired man hissed, "Adhere to Master Bang when he—!"

"Charanko, meditate." snapped Bang, the same time Kagome sent the man a harsh glare. Who did he think he was... yelling at her?

She reluctantly obeyed though, just because it seemed like the better option now, and took off her shoes, placing her quiver down beside her as she sat down on the mats. Meditation wasn't a new concept for her. While InuYasha didn't like to meditate, Miroku had often insisted that it would help maintain the flow of the body's spiritual energy. At some point she learned to get the hang of it.

Kagome slipped into a familiar tranquility and acutely hoped that Bang was almost through with his session. The sooner she obtained his help, the better.

The dojo was silent aside from Charanko–if that was really that annoying guy's name–and his erratic breathing. He seemed as impatient as InuYasha, itching to get to the training. She guessed her interruption was not helping his case.

"Very good, Kagome." murmured Bang. "Charanko, follow Kagome's lead and allow your ki to distribute itself through your veins."

"I–Yes, Master Bang." He replied solemnly. She had to hand it to him, at least he seemed to have great respect for Bang, even though he probably loathed her for showing him up. She had a very strong feeling nagging at her to be smug about it, yet she was committed to being the mature one here.

"I could come to your shrine right away." Bang said. "However, I am sure you know of the saying _'Give a man fish and he shall eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he shall eat for a lifetime'_ , yes?"

Kagome knew exactly where this was going. "Yes." She answered.

"Instead of removing the meteor, I shall endeavour to teach you to do so yourself." He said. "It will be a useful skill in your future, should you encounter a mysterious being."

It'd also be helpful in the feudal era if something went horribly wrong with her primary source of attack (her arrows). "Okay." She replied. There was nothing to lose but something to gain.

She had a few days before InuYasha was scheduled to come back and get her. She didn't know how much she could learn in such a short time frame but it was worth a try. Besides... She wasn't looking forward to going back down those stairs at all.

"What do we do first?" She opened her eyes hesitantly, finding that he had already done so. Beside her, his disciple was gaping outwardly at Bang's declaration to take her on as another student, stammering words of protest but never getting anywhere far.

"First." He said, "We spar."


	15. Of Learning

**Nars:** I was on vacation in the US until recently! I didn't give this up, I promise :)

 **Word Count:** 850

 **Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners—Rumiko Takahashi and One.**

* * *

"—Okay!" Kagome declared, falling to the mats after a swift defeat. For an old guy, Bang could really move, but it wasn't like she had any intention of seriously fighting him. "I concede but I'm not good at close combat to begin with, I'm more of a–"

"Long-range fighter; I can tell." said Bang, motioning to her quiver on the floor. "I was not attempting to gauge your strength, contrary to your belief. I was monitoring your ki."

"Oh." She did sense a bit of pure energy radiating off of him at some point. It felt a bit like Kaede and the untainted force she expelled. Kagome inhaled and thought over her choice of words carefully. "What did you see, then? In my ki?"

"A tremendous amount. No doubt this is due to being raised in a shrine." said Bang, pacing with his hands behind his back. "You also have remarkable control over your ki. Do you meditate often?"

She nodded mutely. Telling him that she actually shared her soul with a woman of whom she was reincarnated from didn't seem like a wise idea. That lion-haired guy in the corner had been silent but she figured he'd probably laugh at her and right now she was the better student. Kagome tugged on the sleeve of her borrowed gi. The dojo had a whole storage full of them and Bang had been more than happy to loan her one.

"Kagome, we will focus on strengthening your ki to the best of its ability." He stated.

She frowned. "Will that give me the strength to break that meteor fragment apart?" Kagome had thought ki was more of a utility for destroying threats like the worm-monster from before.

"Once your ki is harnessed, you will be able to shatter meteors like dust." Bang told her. "Your training begins now.

She nodded and clenched a fist in determination. Getting to train with someone who was a hero was not an ordinary occurrence (most likely). Bang obviously had very renowned abilities, considering the fact that her brother adored him as much as he did to the way it had taken him a matter of a few seconds to defeat her during their first spar. This would enable her to hold her own during a battle against Naraku, just in case her arrows ran out or something went wrong. Though she certainly was not dead weight to her team, it still helped to further her strength.

Kagome held onto Bang's every instruction with utmost respect and admiration, answering when prompted to and throwing herself into a new training regimen when ordered to do so. Things were going to change. She was going to learn how to use all of her priestess abilities completely.

* * *

"You're not bad."

She glanced up from her much-deserved break, staring suspiciously as the man from earlier, Charanko approached. "Thanks, I guess." She said hesitantly.

"Master Bang hasn't taken many students as of late." He continued. "Not after the incident."

That was way too dramatic a sentence to leave hanging. She took a sip of her water and frowned. "Oh, yeah? What happened?"

"One of Master's most talented students went on a crazed rampage and crippled everyone so bad they're in the hospital. I'm the only one left." He said. "That makes you the second."

Whoever that was, they sounded like bad news. She doubted that she'd run into them while here, but if there was ever a chance... Well, her arrows were ready and waiting to impale them–for self-defence purposes of course.

"Actually, Kagome, you have met them." said Bang, shuffling into the hallway. "When you were a child."

"Did I?" She frowned, unable to rack her brain for this instance. "I can't remember."

Bang tapped a finger against one of photographs that lined the walls. She peered closer and squinted. In the image, there were a few younger students and Bang right in the middle of it all. While the disciples pictured varied in size, the one closest to Bang with the upright light-coloured hair and triumphant expression did seem very familiar but she couldn't figure out why.

"M-Master, why do you still have that photograph hanging?!" gaped Charanko.

"Other students are in this picture." He said gruffly. "If I took it down as well, there would be too much empty room."

Kagome rose a brow. She'd been wondering why there were so many weird and abrupt spaces on the walls. The disciple must have been in too many pictures to count. Still, she couldn't place her finger on what was recognizable about the boy. She shrugged and took another sip of water. "I'm ready to get back to training."

"Excellent." said Bang. "Let's be off."

She followed him obediently to the training room and smoothed the collar of her gi. It was time to learn.

* * *

 **Nars:** More coming soon.


End file.
